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WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy may be poised for another growth spurt, a flurry of government and industry reports released Wednesday suggests. At the same time, the reports contained no signs of resurgent inflation.
The University of Michigan said its consumer sentiment index rose to 99.2 in November, up from 96.6 a month earlier. That's the highest reading since June 1986 and may bode well for Christmas retail sales, analysts said.
Also, factory production increased in the Midwest and in the New York metropolitan area, according to two monthly indexes of regional manufacturing activity.
Separately, U.S. factory orders for durable goods -- items ranging from autos to computers made to last at least three years -- rose a stronger-than-expected 0.1 percent in October following September's 4.6 percent gain. Analysts were expecting a 1.8 percent decline for October.
"Taken together, these numbers still continue to paint an economy that won't grow much above 2 percent in the fourth quarter," said Anthony Chan, chief economist at Banc One Corp. in Columbus, Ohio. "It's a picture of moderation, which is exactly what the Fed wants."
Nonetheless, signs of underlying strength in the economy rattled financial markets where interest rates have dropped in recent days
Earlier in the day, the Commerce Department reported that the gross domestic product -- the nation's total output of goods and services -- rose at a revised 2.0 percent annual rate from July through September, down from a 4.7 percent growth rate in the second quarter.
Third-quarter growth was weighed down by a larger-than-expected drop in exports during September and a decline in wholesale inventories. Even so, the revision was stronger than analysts were expecting.
On the inflation front, the GDP price deflator, a measure of price increases followed by Wall Street, grew at an unrevised 1.6 percent pace in the third quarter, down from 1.8 percent in the second quarter.


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Petrol adulteration:Marker scheme comes a cropper
The government’s effort to curb adulteration of petrol and diesel through a marker system has not been successful. The strike rate in detection of adulteration at retail outlets has been found to be dismally low at 0.69 per cent.
“Of the instances where adulteration was detected, 34 per cent proved to be tank lorry malpractices. In 38 per cent cases, retail outlet sample passed on re-testing and marker failure at retail outlet was established in 19 per cent of instances,” review of implementation of marker system between February 2007 and January 2008 showed.
The oil marketing companies had in late 2006 decided to opt for marker system following National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), which estimated the diversion/ leakages of PDS kerosene at about 39 per cent of the total sale of the product in 2004.
Kerosene is usually mixed in diesel due to a huge price differential. State-owned oil marketing companies sell kerosene Rs. 20.95 per litre below trade parity price. To prevent such diversion, the government had launched Jan Kerosene Pariyojana (JKP). However, it was able to prevent a mere estimated 2.2 percent diversion of kerosene meant for poorer households, according to a study by NCAER.
In the marker system, used globally to prevent adulteration of transport fuels with kerosene, the marker (special permanent dye) turns pink when tested for adulteration.
The marker would be mixed with kerosene. If the blended kerosene were to be used as an adulterant in other fuel, it would be easily detected through a visual test procedure, using a special testing kit. The petroleum ministry had selected a British firm called Authentix to supply the marker.
After a review meeting last week, the oil marketing companies are now considering surprise selective inspection of retail outlets, sources told the Hindustan Times. The move follows several complaints against inspectors of certification agency SGS. There were instances where old equipment was used for testing and high-handed behaviour.
To improve the quality of inspections, it has been proposed that there should be a certification of SGS tests by another agency of international repute. Alternatively, senior oil company and SGS officials should conduct such an audit. SGS is a leading group globally involved in verification, testing and monitoring services for international trade in agricultural, mineral, industrial, petroleum and consumer products.
Way back in 1990, the oil industry first introduced blending of kerosene with furfural, in order to detect adulteration of petrol and diesel. This programme had certain limitations. Also furfural being toxic in nature posed problems in blending especially at port locations: with the liberalisation of the oil sector, large quantities of kerosene from parallel marketing network entered the market. This was joined by the numerous other products like aromatic solvents, all of which were potential adulterants in both petrol and diesel.
Subsequently, bio-markers like Oronite and Spectrace markers were also experimented with by the oil industry. However, the operational issues of correct dosage and availability of test-kits were a major deterrent. In view of the limitations in the system of marking the fuels, it was decided to examine the feasibility of marking potential adulterants instead.

domain: news


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Analyst Adam Bozic says he chose to study Business at Griffith because of the opportunities to enhance his resume through hands-on experience with industry tools.
Griffith Business School alumnus Nathan Brierley says it’s the things ‘beyond the books’ that the University offers which set it apart and help prepare students for employment.
Economics graduate also reveals profile of users
Griffith Business School will produce specialists in the taxation sector with a new taxation minor available to students from 2017 as part of an updated commerce degree. structure


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Raising Maximilian is hosting their first ever pop-up 'Children's & Maternity Consignment Sales Event' on the weekend of July 11 and 12, 2015.
This exciting event will take place at the Bondi Scout Hall and feature a huge range of pre-loved children's and maternity items at drastically discounted prices.
You'll find clothing, toys, prams, strollers, baby carriers, highchairs, bibs, educational tools, games and more at up to 90% off recommended retail prices.
All are welcome to buy and sell at the event; to join the team and receive incredible benefits, including an exclusive opportunity to purchase items before official openings, please click here.
For more information on this event and upcoming pop-up events in 2015, please visit www.raisingmaximilian.com.au.


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Hong Kong, 5th March: The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) concluded its two jewellery shows earlier this month, featuring a record number of buyers – approximately 87,000 visitors from 145 countries and regions. This represents a 2% increase over last year’s event.
The Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show was held at AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) from 27th February to 3rd March and it attracted more than 33,000 buyers. Approximately 53,000 buyers visited the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) from 1st to 5th March.
More than 4,550 exhibitors participated in the two exhibitions. The HKTDC noted that there was significant growth in buyer numbers from Japan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Iran and Turkey.
Benjamin Chau, Deputy Executive Director of the HKTDC, stated, “We are delighted that exhibitor attendance at both shows was the highest in years, and that attendance of both local and overseas buyers set new records. This shows that Hong Kong is an important sourcing platform for the global jewellery industry.”


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PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WMBB) — The city government is working to persuade Governor DeSantis to allow vacation rentals in our area to reopen for visitors.
Panama City Beach Mayor, Mark Sheldon, said on Friday that he has sent a letter to Florida’s governor strongly supporting vacation rentals to be reopened in the city.
The letter states that the closure has drastically affected the local economy, and asks the governor to consider reopening rentals in the certain areas of Florida that aren’t considered hotspots, like Panama City Beach.
“Panama City Beach isn’t like South Florida,” said Sheldon. “We rely on the tourist industry to come from Alabama and Georgia and as the largest city in the State of Florida without an ad valorem tax, we rely on that one cent gross tax to have people come to our town, support our local businesses and support our community.”
Sheldon added that he is committed to the safety of the public and that city officials continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 case numbers in our area as businesses reopen.


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December 18, 2020
Pepsi says it is launching a 'cocoa' cola, a drink made to taste like hot chocolate.
August 2, 2021
Good news for bug bounty hunters as a new programme has just been announced by Pepsi, BMW, United Colors of Benetton linked company Antavo.
June 20, 2021
Remember Disha Patani rocking a flirty silhouette in a blue mini dress as she featured opposite Tiger Shroff in a Pepsi ad? Well, it's the perfect time to add the smoking hot look to your summer fashion must-haves and make people go bananas
PepsiCo Beverages North America
May 26, 2021
/PRNewswire/ -- Pepsi has always known that America's favorite foods, like pizza, wings, and burgers go #BetterWithPepsi. However, for the past 30+ years,...
April 30, 2021
The ad industry is grappling with Apple, Google, and others' decisions to kill targeted ads.
Viveat Susan Pinto
April 21, 2021
Cola majors say they will monitor localised lockdowns, vaccination progress
- FantaLine of fruit flavored carbonated beverages
- The Coca-Cola CompanyThe Coca-Cola Company is an Atlanta-based beverage company.
- SpriteIs a colorless, lemon and lime-flavored soft drink created by The Coca-Cola Company. It was first developed in West Germany in 1959 as Fanta Klare Zitrone ("Clear Lemon Fanta") and was introduced in the United States under the current brand name Sprite in 1961 as a competitor to 7 Up.


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Within this section you can find out the latest news about Hong Kong's restaurant and bars. If you have an articles that you would like us to publish do get in touch.
Smoke & Barrels, a smokehouse has opened up on on Graham Street, Central by the same people behind Cupping Room and Doubleshot, From the photos you can grab-and-go juicy looking sandwiches, smoked meat platters and New Orleans-style beverages. Their mission is to smoke and make their meats on site.
Probably not the first thing I would think of to drink when I go to my local Cha Chaan Teng or restaurant chain, but hey why not!
Young Master is launching a whole new series of beers infused with pure cannabidiol (CBD) isolate at a dosage of 60mg/L. The first product that has launched is a pale ale and the brewery plans to launch a series of beer style variations based later this year, all under the new HEA brand.
With the social distancing and restrictions on restaurants in 2020, a lot more food delivery and catering options have been created in Hong Kong to cater for the changes.
MÖVENPICK® Ice Cream is doing a collaboration with Perfume Trees Gin and will be launching special cocktail at pop-up store locations across Hong Kong. The founder of Perfume Trees Gin, mixologist Kit Cheung will also host a flash roadshow and cocktail-making demonstration for customers.
With a number of people in Hong Kong that celebrate this American holiday, there are always some great lunch and dinner promotions for people to choose from. We have listed the best ones we have seen below and hopefully we have a nice selection before the actual date.
have a look before to see which one suits you and do let us know if we are missing any!
Chôm Chôm is bringing back its game of chance this summer to celebrate its 7th Anniversary!
From the 7th July visit the Soho restaurant on any Tuesday evening during the whole month and every person dining gets a roll of the dice. All you have to do is roll any combination of seven and win seven drinks (house wines and Vietnamese beers) on the house for you and your guests. Sounds like a nice bonus to the dinner especially with the heat we are currently having getting some complimentary cold drinks!
The garden rooftop bar, Red Sugar at Kerry Hotel has now launched its new cocktail menu “Our Little Time”. The collection as you can see in the photos takes its inspiration from post-war era of Hong Kong. There are 11 new cocktails present key elements from the 60’s to the 80’s industries. Mixologist, Simon Kong cocktails are available from the 26th June 2020.
There are really some amazing cocktails that you can try today in Hong Kong and the mixologists in the city are working hard every day to bring something new for us to fortunately try.
With their connection to Cupping Room, Doubleshot’s Signature Cocktails draw inspiration from coffee flavours and brewing techniques.
LANDMARK EATO is a culinary concept involving and bringing together F&B outlets all at LANDMARK.
Rediscover one of your favourite restaurant or bars in Central, Hong Kong or discover something new, especially at the recently launched food hall concept BaseHall this week.


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HTC Droid Incredible owners, rejoice! Verizon Wireless has started to push out the Android 2.2 Froyo update to said handsets, which would also mean Adobe’s Flash 10.1 will be included with the update. For those who are about to bring home a new Incredible, fret not about performing the update yourself since it will already come pre-installed. Additional features in the update will include being Mobile Hotspot ready and a much faster JIT (Just In Time) compiler, not to mention 720p video recording support and access to Android 2.2 only apps in the market. Droid Incredible users from Verizon, how have you found your update so far – are you happy with it?
Next Story: Pikachu DSi Charger looks super cute


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New Delhi, July 16 (ANI
): After falling consecutively for 18 months, India's merchandise exports grew in June witnessing a hike of 1.27 percent in the month.
Exports in June were USD 22.5 billion compared with USD 22.2 billion in the year ago period while imports declined 7.33 percent to USD 30.6 billion from USD 33.1 billion in June 2015.
Meanwhile, the trade deficit widened to USD 8.1 billion vis-a-vis USD 6.27 billion in May.
The Commerce and Industry ministry in its statement said, "For the first time after a gap of 18 months, exports in June 2016 have recorded a positive growth of 1.27 percent."
18 out of 30 exporting sectors showed growth in shipment with handicrafts leading the pack with a whopping 91.98 percent increase.
Also, the gold imports declined almost 38.5 percent to USD 1.2 billion last month.
On the other hand, the data released by RBI showed exports worth USD 13.4 billion and imports of USD 7.9 billion in May. (ANI


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- Construction website of the Tesla Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.Mike Blake/Reuters Building and construction for Tesla ' s brand-new manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas, started in the summertime of in 2014. Filings with Texas authorities revealed the electrical lorry firm will certainly invest over$1 billion on the job. The job is anticipated to produce 10,000 work.
Tesla is gathering greater than $1 billion right into its brand-new Gigafactory in Texas that is anticipated to be finished by the end of this year.Construction filings with the Texas Department of Licensing as well as Regulation revealed the electrical car business would certainly invest $493 million for the basic setting up area as well as$182 million for the body store. Building of the centers for these areas, together with the paint, spreading, and also marking centers, will certainly be finished by Dec. 31, according to the papers. The 5 centers set you back a consolidated $1.06 billion.Electrek initially reported the filings.The business is anticipated to get almost$
65 million in regional tax obligation refunds for the manufacturing facility as well as the job is anticipated to develop 10,000 work, according to Reuters. The plant in Texas comes as Tesla– like several various other business in the technology field, consisting of technology titans Oracle and also Hewlett Packard Enterprise– will certainly be relocating its head office from the San Francisco Bay Area to Texas. " Gigafactory Texas is advancing as prepared, " Tesla stated in an investor slide deck last month. " We remain in the procedure of appointing devices as well as making our initial pre-production lorries. " Tesla additionally has manufacturing facilities in California, Nevada, as well as Shanghai, as well as is developing a plant near Berlin, Germany.The gigafactory ' s
"conclusion complies with Tesla owner Elon Musk ' s relocate to Austin. Musk introduced he had actually left Californiain December 2020, after a number of months of combating with the state over coronavirus plans, yet lots of hypothesized
that Texas ' absence of state revenue tax obligation played greatly in his choice. Musk is apparently near offering the last of his California buildings– a'47-acre estate in Hillsborough, near San Francisco'– as well as has actually relocated to a$50,000 pre-fab small house. Review the initial post on Business Insider


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Want to make any mixed-use development sound more enticing? Throw in a food hall.
This week, the owners of the office and retail park Colorado Center, at Colorado Boulevard and I-25, announced Junction Food & Drink, coming to a neighborhood that is currently not home to any food halls, a trend that continues to proliferate around the Front Range.
Junction will bring 10 restaurant stalls, a coffee shop and a bar this spring to a complex that already houses office towers, Dave & Buster’s and an IMAX movie theatre.
It’s located at 2000 S. Colorado Blvd. near the light rail’s Colorado station.
So far the developers have two food stalls confirmed: Shawarma Shack from chef Yaser Khalaf and Grind & Grill Burgers.
The hall is seeking more chef-tenants, who can apply at junctionfoodanddrink.com.
Another food hall is coming to the south side of town via Denver chef Troy Guard. The yet-to-be-named concept is slated to open next summer. And this month, the region will see two food hall openings. First, Rosetta Hall in Boulder will open on Friday, Oct. 11. Then, Edgewater Public Market should debut by the end of October.


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Shopify merchants in New Zealand up 57 per cent during 2020
Shopify’s merchants in New Zealand ballooned by 56 per cent during 2020, the business said on Thursday. And, accordingly, GMV in these merchants grew 97 per cent during the same period.
The large levels of growth is indicative of a blossoming e-commerce market, accelerated by the pandemic and lockdowns that curbed the usage of physical stores.
“While digital transformation plans for 2030 have been brought forward by a decade due to the economic and social changes accelerated by the pandemic, we’re also seeing a growing community of entrepreneurs, who are looking for more independence and flexibility while generating extra income and exploring their creative passions,” said Shopify’s director for APAC Shaun Broughton.
Customer expectations changed during the year as well, with the amount of retailers in New Zealand now delivering locally doubling during the pandemic due to customer need.
“We saw savvy retailers like JB Hi-Fi, Aje, Peter Sheppard, and Thermomix Australia and New Zealand [spend their] resources on listening to their customers and analysing their needs, and then doubling down on the best channels to engage with customers as their circumstances changed throughout the year,” Broughton said.
In Australia, Shopify merchants exceeded 100,000 during the period, while GMV rose 118 per cent.


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Who ever thought $98 million could be a deal?
Last December, an insanely beautiful mansion on New York's Upper East Side was listed for $114 million. After languishing on the market for nine months, it has been discounted to the low, low price of $98 million, according to Curbed.
Now the third most expensive home in NYC, the six-level property has 20,000 square feet of living space.
That's in addition to 2,500 square feet of outdoor space, which includes a roof deck with sweeping views of Central Park and the city.
The 69th Street home was built in 1884, and bought by investor Vincent Viola and his wife Teresa, the president of Maida Vale Designs,for $20 million in 2005. They gut-renovated the townhouse to create the extravagant residence it is today, according to The New York Times.
After trying to flip it for a whopping $114,077,000, they've lowered the price to an even $98 million.
And if the amenities are any indication, it's totally worth it. According to Corcoran Group, which is selling the home, the mansion has a saltwater pool with spa, panic room, heated stairs and floors in the parlor, plus a brick pizza oven in the kitchen.
There's even an onyx elevator. You have to see this house to believe it.


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From around India
Back to villages
Rajesh Mehta, director marketing, south and south east Asia, Western Union, said, "Building a ruralbrand is not easy. Today 60% of our India revenues come ..
Steel output to grow at 6.4 per cent for 2009-10
Increasing demand for makers of automobiles and consumer durables are boosting steel demand in India.
FBD: Metro Cash & Carry India to launch initiative for hospitality industry
This also ensures constant product availability allowing chefs to plan menus in advance without any unforeseen surprises.
Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, Mercedes & Porsche line up India offering
“Take the case of the new Porsche Panamera, which was launched first in China, followed up with anIndia launch,
Consumerdaddy to Unveil the Largest Consumer Protection Network in India
A private venture by a group of non-resident Indians, Consumerdaddy is currently India'slargest online consumer reporting database with consumer reports of
Kraft's Quest for Cadbury Highlights Power of Economic Moats
Given that over 500 million Indian consumers have never tasted chocolate, Kraft's management may end up being correct. With the Indian distribution system ...
Demand curve: Indicus-Mint Series
How cities define size of households
Cities that are growing rapidly and have high levels of in-migration also tend to have smaller households
The majority of households in the top 112 cities in India constitute between three and five persons, including children and adults. Yet, at least a quarter of the households have at least six persons in it, and just 15% consist of one-two people living under one roof.
Typically, cities in southern India and larger cities tend to have smaller households. This is partly due to lower fertility rates among women who are better educated and live in households with higher incomes—both more likely in the south and in larger cities. But education and awareness are not the only criteria that determine household size.
Cities that are growing rapidly and have high levels of in-migration also tend to have smaller households. Early migrants tend to be unmarried, and, even if married, may live by themselves. It is only after a few years of living in a new location, and after they establish themselves, do their families join them


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Life is about risk versus reward.
Every year on Black Friday we hear about people behaving badly. They want the special deals that retailers are offering only a few of. So they line up and storm the doors when they open. http://news.yahoo.com/10-black-friday-disasters-convince-stay-home-053440066.html
Are the saving worth the camping in line and the storming of the crowds? For the many who make Black Friday an annual event the answer must be yes.


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This a post written by Adam Read, External Affairs Director of SUEZ UK. I follow Adam for many years and I found his writings very interesting and eye-opening for some of the most crucial issues of our industry. He is an experienced waste management academic and consultant with over 21 years’ of sector experience from both the UK and overseas. Adam is well known in the UK for his influential thinking and pioneering work on public attitudes to waste, recycling system development and the delivery of waste management promotional campaigns, and has worked all over the world on service procurement, service reviews and stakeholder consultation. You can follow his monthly blog at http://www.recyclingwasteworld.co.uk/
This post concerns the recent decision of the UK government to develop a deposit return system for single use drinks containers and I am sure that my readers will find it very interesting and with a lot of useful tips and ideas.
“Last week was perhaps a pivotal point in the evolution of UK waste management policy and practice, and that had nothing to do with our stagnating recycling rate or our hopes and fears post BREXIT. No, it was down to the commitment from Secretary of State Michael Gove on 28th March 2018 that England would have a deposit return system (DRS) for single use drinks containers subject to a pending consultation.
This announcement may have come as a real shock to some, although with Scotland having committed to such a system back in October 2017 it was far from being a wild card. Of course, the English Parliamentary attention on DRS has ramped up in recent months, with the Environmental Audit Committee ‘call for evidence’ (Voluntary & Economics Incentives Working Group) dating back to December 2017, the findings of which were published to a surprisingly muted fanfare in February 2018. Their evidence based report suggests that countries with deposit return schemes tend to recycle between 80% and 95% of their plastic bottles, significantly better than in the UK, with Norway recycling 95% of all plastic bottles compared with only 57% in England.
Others have been lobbying hard in the corridors of power for some time now on the merits of DRS, namely the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) who reconfirmed their support for DRS in October 2017 through a report they commissioned from Eunomia which suggested that local authorities could save £35 million per annum under a full DRS approach.
But CPRE’s open interest in DRS dates back to 2009, when they claimed it could boost recycling and cut litter, and in 2011 they produced a robust evidence report suggest a 10-15p scheme would be appropriate for most beverage containers whilst a MORI survey suggested that 66% of people would use the scheme most of the time.
But will it work – public acceptance?
However, for all the positivity surrounding DRS a survey by Ipsos released in the same week as Mr Gove’s announcement suggests we should be more cautious in our assumptions and beliefs regarding the public and their desire to deal with the plastic problem. The ‘Blue Planet effect’ (referring to the now infamous BBC documentary from late 2017) is now a recognised factor in shaping UK environmental attitudes, having brought plastics recycling back to the fore of mainstream media debates and the public consciousness. But, the research suggests that whilst almost all Brits are worried about the effects of plastic waste on the environment, only a handful feel that consumers should take responsibility for the problem, with most of the respondents saying they are reluctant to help solve the problem if it will cost them money.
The survey of 1,681 adults aged 16-75 across the United Kingdom, found that seven in eight adults claim to be at least ‘fairly concerned’ about the issue, but most do not feel that consumers should take most responsibility for finding a way to reduce the amount of unnecessary packaging which is sold. Some 40% believe responsibility should be shared equally among consumers, goods producers, retailers and government, while 27% put the most responsibility on companies who produce packaged goods.
The public said they would be prepared to take some steps towards solving the problem, but far fewer say they would do things to help that would cost them money. Three-quarters (75%) said they would re-use plastic bags and bottles, and more than half (54%) would be willing to buy more products made from recycled materials. However, less than half (43%) would stop buying goods that have packaging that cannot be recycled, and fewer would pay more council tax to fund improved recycling facilities (14%) or pay extra for goods that have no packaging that cannot be recycled (12%).
Around half of adults interviewed felt that higher taxes on retailers that use a lot of unrecyclable packaging (48%) and forcing local councils to spend more on recycling (47%) would be effective in dealing with plastics
Almost as many (45%) thought the government should name and shame supermarkets and shops that use of unrecyclable packaging to help reduce the problems caused by plastics.
Most interesting though were the 41% who believed that a tax on containers (such as plastic drink bottles and disposable coffee cups) would be effective, compared to only 25% who thought that fines for households who do not recycle enough of their rubbish or 19% who would support a public information campaign funded by taxpayers’ money.
So what could we do, and where does the burden of responsibility lay?
A personal interest and contribution to the debate ….
As a child of the 1970s, I am more than comfortable with a DRS scheme, having earned plenty of good pocket money for taking back the family’s Corona bottles to the local newsagent. This glass specific DRS dates back to the 1960s and ran until the 1980s when glass was being rapidly replaced by plastic. So, I have always been open to the idea of DRS, but as someone that has worked in (and for) local government I have always been concerned about the potential for a DRS to undermine municipal collection service budgets and to cannibalise the high value materials from any kerbside scheme.
On joining SUEZ in September 2017, it was clear that they strongly believed in DRS as part of the future jigsaw for UK waste & resources policy, and our CEO David Palmer Jones had worked with DRS systems in France and Sweden previously, and was an ardent supporter of the role they could play in a UK system where Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) was the cornerstone of UK policy. So one of the first things I did when I joined was to commission Oakdene Hollins to take a closer look at global DRS performance and to help facilitate a discussion with colleagues and peers about what might a DRS look like in the UK.
Call it good planning, or just plain old good luck, but our intended DRS report launch was to be mid-March, but as always things slip a little for good reason, and so we openly joined the sector debate on exactly the right day (28th March 2018), with social media, national news outlets and the trade press all covering our insights work whilst reporting on the Government’s plans to move DRS forward. So what did our report suggest?
In our opinion the most effective DRS for Britain should only target “on-the-go” sized plastic bottles and aluminium cans to yield the best returns, whilst delivering the maximum impact on litter prevention, and not undermining existing collection schemes. Our ideal DRS would:
- Only target plastic (PET) bottles and aluminium cans smaller than 0.75l, which are typically consumed while “on-the-go” instead of at home and are a more significant cause of litter than larger bottles – with a refundable deposit of 10 pence per container;
- Be owned/operated by manufacturers, but provide the opportunity for local authorities to generate new revenue streams by operating redemption points and local logistic systems. SUEZ believes a range of secure, public redemption points is needed – not just reverse-vending machines as has been suggested by some commentators;
- Would not leave local authorities out of pocket by “cannibalising” the more valuable materials (like plastic and aluminium) from existing, effective, household collection services;
- Allow consumers to donate their deposits to other causes or organisations, rather than redeeming them as cash – which would be effective at generating significant revenue for national and local good causes; and
- Only be one part of a much wider system of Extended Producer Responsibility, which would use a range of tools – such as taxation on virgin materials or incentives to use recyclable materials – to drive long-term sustainable production and consumption of goods.
Oakdene Hollins’ assessment suggests 8.8 billion plastic bottles and 9.7 billion aluminium cans are sold in the UK every year and that the “on-the-go” sizes account for 1.3 and up to 4.4 billion of those respectively. The current recycling rate for PET plastic bottles is 57 per cent and 70 per cent for aluminium cans which means that, in the case of plastic bottles alone, 171,000 tonnes of PET is currently placed in the market but not recycled each year.
The report concludes that a DRS scheme has the potential to increase recycling rates to more than 80 per cent for both plastic bottles and aluminium cans, and that the overall value of deposits in the scheme could be over £1 billion between the two materials.
So what’s the answer – which DRS approach will we get?
Some campaigners have suggested that a DRS system should cover all recyclable materials and container sizes, but SUEZ believes that this would “cannibalise” materials already successfully captured by local-authority household collections, lead to diminishing returns, and result in more hassle for the consumer – who instead would have to take everything they throw out at home to different DRS redemption points. By targeting only packaging used on the go, however, a DRS scheme would capture more of the material currently being lost either to general waste, or as litter. In fact, the report suggests that the effectiveness of the DRS scheme in reducing litter, would actually result in a net overall saving for local authorities, which currently have responsibility for the cost of clearing it up. The report also concluded that a deposit of 10p may be the correct amount to incentivise use of the DRS for on-the-go materials (less than being proposed by DEFRA).
In addition to releasing our report, we commissioned an independent YouGov poll which confirmed that people want to do more to recycle, but may need help with better ‘binfrastructure’ (suitable bins etc.), which a deposit return scheme could provide at no cost to the public purse.
The poll, surveyed over 2,000 adults across Britain and found that 80% of people believe there should be more public recycling bins to use in the public areas near to where they live, while only around a quarter of people said they could “always” or “often” find a suitable recycling bin for plastic bottles (26%) or aluminium cans (25%) when they are out and about. Almost three quarters (74%) of those polled have said they would take plastic bottles and aluminium cans to a recycling and redeem point if they carried a 10p refundable deposit.
You can see from the YouGov poll that people struggle to effectively recycle on the go currently and fewer than half of us are likely to hang on to bottles or cans long enough to recycle when we get home (or claim to, in reality this may be significantly less), instead opting to throw them in a litter bin or worse. Nearly 40 per cent (39%) of people admitted that they are most likely to simply put plastic bottles or cans into a general rubbish bin – where they are destined for landfill or incineration – if a suitable public recycling bin isn’t handy when they are out and about.
Furthermore, when asked how they would most like to redeem their 10p deposits given the choice, just over 50% of people said they would rather donate the deposit to charity or public services / initiatives, or redeem it as retailer reward points or money-off vouchers, whilst fewer would instead claim the cash (40%).
As I said, SUEZ has long been a champion of DRS, but such a scheme is not a panacea to Britain’s long-term sustainability challenges, and should only be considered as part of a much wider producer-responsibility regime to incentivise the most sustainable choices for both consumers and manufacturers, which will in turn protect our natural capital.
Currently, our thinking when it comes to plastics in particular is that we need a new portfolio of joined-up, complementary, and far reaching policies and systems to deliver the step change which is so necessary, and so widely called for, within a clear and simple EPR framework. This would include:
- Avoid unnecessary plastics: through a single use plastics tax or a ban on specific materials / products / packaging;
- Consider the design of necessary plastics to improve their ability to be ‘harvested’ and recycled into products;
- Recycle necessary plastics where economically and environmentally the right thing to do (working within a true the EPR framework, and including DRS for some material types and PRN upgrade to fully support the recycling of household collected materials through to recycled secondary resource); and
- Recover energy from plastics where not economically or environmentally possible to recycle and where their replacement would need more fossil oils to be consumed.
The cat is now definitely out of the bag, and DRS will not go away easily. Michael Gove has committed to a full consultation, and with the Scottish Government already consulting, the odds are strongly in favour of a scheme being introduced by 2019. The Welsh Government have also openly backed their support for a UK wide system, which would make more sense for retailers and consumers alike.
However, what the recent spate of research reports, calls for evidence, and public polls show is that there is no uniform solution, no clear winner, and no real consensus on which materials to target. And should it be focusing the on the go materials or all similar containers whether at home or whilst on the go remains undecided.
What is needed now is an open and transparent debate, with Government(s) bringing their ideas to the table for full consultation and consideration. There is growing evidence from places far afield, including Australia, Canada and Europe, on the opportunities, issues, benefits and risks of DRS, and this evidence must be assessed in the UK context, and provide a system with the right design for it to suit the UK for a long time to come, we can’t afford any false dawns, because the public, the local authorities and the retailers will not stand for it.
We welcome the opportunity to be part of this debate, and would be happy to pilot a system, trial a campaign, or help design a new legislative framework where DRS can work effectively alongside kerbside recycling to capture more and better quality recycling, but only if there is a demand from the market for the materials and if the public are brought on the journey and supported as they adjust to the new systems and solutions.
We live in interesting times, more interesting than perhaps at any time in the last 30 years or so for UK waste management. With that comes great potential risks which must be assessed and mitigated. But we have the opportunity now, to truly test out our thinking on a new DRS approach that delivers on litter reduction, and quality recycling, and minimises additional costs in the system. I for one am calling on all stakeholders to put aside their differences and work together on developing the best possible system ….. now is the time to listen and act …..
As with all my ‘comments’ they are mine and mine alone. If you would like to get in touch or comment on my thoughts then please do so, I am more than open to some good sold fashioned debate and dialogue.”
Dr Adam Read, External Affairs Director @ SUEZ
This post was originally prepared for Adam Read’s monthly blog on the Recycling & Waste World website http://www.recyclingwasteworld.co.uk/


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Range of Royal pet accessories launched
The Royal Collection Trust has launched a range of pet accessories under the Buckingham Palace brand with products ranging from toys to dog beds.
A Buckingham Palace Crown Dog Toy will cost £4.99 while a Buckingham Palace Dog Bowl retails at £25.
Nuala McGourty, the Trust's retail director, said: "We are pleased to launch another new retail range, this time taking inspiration from the well-known royal love of dogs. We hope that dog owners will enjoy spoiling their pets with these smart accessories."
The 11-piece range also includes a double sided grooming brush (£9.95), an accessory pouch (£14.95), a handmade tartan fleece blanket (£60) and pet beds (£65 to £75).
The range can be viewed at http://www.royalcollectionshop.co.uk/gifts/pets.html


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Global Marketing News – 9th August 2017
Google has updated the way that apps are ranked in its app store, The New York Times has seen its programmatic revenue double in the last quarter, and digital travel sales in India are set to hit 22 billion US dollars this year.
Latest posts by Cal O'Connell (see all)
- UK Ad Group Calls For Ad Measurement Standardisation - August 17, 2017
- Yandex Announces Banking Partnership - August 14, 2017
- Google Updates App Store Ranking Algorithm - August 9, 2017


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The address 520 Park Ave. is still mostly a hole in the ground, but the sales office is now open for business and redefining the luxury price point in New York City. Luxury condominium prices already hit a record this year, according to several reports released Thursday on the Manhattan market. This as more units go up, but global financial markets fall.
"Everything concerns me, but, very funny, we think we've seen more Chinese buyers in the last 60 days than ever before," said William Lie Zeckendorf, the developer behind 520 Park. "I think, frankly, what's unsettled China has made the U.S. that much more appealing."


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SuperDry owner fashions sales boost after torrid year of profit warnings
SuperGroup, owner of the SuperDry brand, has picked itself up after a string of profits warnings last year, revealing a healthy boost in sales in the run up to Christmas.
Sales of gilets, sweatshirts and jackets helped drive a 13 per cent rise in underlying pre-tax profits to £14.7million in the six months to October 28.
Chief executive Julian Dunkerton said the figures were proof that the SuperDry brand is not falling out of fashion with the young and hip crowd.
In style: SuperGroup enjoyed strong sales in the run up to the festive season
But a write down in the value of its
SuperGroup European division, which it purchased in 2010 when the shares
were three times the value, caused pre-tax profits to fall from
£20.3million to £13.9million for the half.
The firm has had a torrid 2012, which
included three profit warnings over a six-month period, issues with
store openings and ‘arithmetic errors’ over its profits.
The news come
amid a downbeat picture of the High Street, in latest figures from the
British Retail Consortium.
They showed a 4.9 per cent slump in footfall in shopping centres last week compared with the same week last year.
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The CIT Group, the commercial lender, won preliminary approval on Tuesday to receive $2.33 billion under the government’s $700 billion financial bailout program.
Several commercial finance companies, hit by the financial crisis, have followed the same strategy. Bank holding company status also would allow CIT to borrow directly from the Fed’s discount window.
“We continue to believe that CIT’s conversion to a bank holding company should substantially enhance the company’s financing platform over the longer term,” Moshe Orenbuch, an analyst at Credit Suisse, said in a research note.
The CIT approval followed the company’s debt-for-equity swap last week, which was expected to raise $1.5 billion.
Also on Tuesday, the credit card company, American Express, received preliminary approval to get $3.39 billion under the government’s $700 billion financial bailout program, the company in the United States said on Tuesday.Continue reading the main story
American Express has been under pressure from mounting credit losses as states where it expanded more aggressively in recent years, including California and Florida, started reeling from the recession.
The company is also setting aside more money to cover those losses and is paying higher financing costs because of tight credit.
American Express became a bank holding company in November.Continue reading the main story


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As the “gateway to Latin America,” it’s no wonder more entrepreneurs from around the world are choosing to build and grow their businesses in Miami. Florida added 119,000 jobs in the tech and e-commerce industries between 2017 and 2021, and Miami startups raised close to $1 billion in venture funding in 2020 alone.
Ever since establishing local operations in Miami more than ten years ago, Google has been proud to help make tech entrepreneurship accessible in the Sunshine State. In 2021, Google helped provide $31 billion of economic activity for hundreds of thousands of Florida businesses, hosted a Sales Academy for Florida entrepreneurs, and most recently, announced a partnership with Miami-Dade County to help train low-income residents for in-demand tech jobs.
While Miami is quickly establishing itself as a global tech hub, we need to continue bridging divides to build a sustainable and inclusive startup community. Yesterday at the annual eMerge Americas summit — which, along with Miami Tech Summit, is the cornerstone of the ongoing Miami Tech Week — Google for Startups announced it is partnering with eMerge Americas over the next year to deepen Google’s support for the Latino founder community across the Americas. eMerge Americas is a leading organization growing the South Florida entrepreneurial and tech world through year-round executive summits, innovation challenges, startup pitch competitions, masterclasses and webinars. Our partnership will bring the best of Google’s products, programming and expertise to eMerge startups, and will help connect the Latin American and U.S. markets by combining our networks of support.
As part of our announcement, I was personally honored to name two of the first recipients of the Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund, an award we introduced last year as part of a $7 million commitment to the Latino startup community. Dani Vega and Francisco Cornejo, co-founders of Storybook, an app that helps parents combine bedtime stories with infant massage to improve sleep in babies and children, will receive $100,000 in non-dilutive cash funding. Originally from Ecuador and now both Miami residents and active members of the eMerge community, Dani and Francisco will also receive Cloud credits and hands-on Google programming and support to help bring Storybook resources to families around the world. We look forward to working with Storybook, and are excited to announce the other recipients of the Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund later this year.
By connecting the dots — between talent, capital, partner organizations like eMerge Americas and entrepreneurs like Dani and Francisco — we can foster the kind of diverse startup communities that fuel innovation and create opportunity, in Miami, Latin America and beyond.


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Free gear – the ultimate dream
The Aspen Times
Snowboarder Andy Finch knew he wanted to get sponsored back when he was 13 years old and living in Fresno, Calif.
“I got jerked around for about three years,” he said of his first tries at getting a sponsor. When he was 15, a representative from Swag clothing and Palmer snowboards finally called back and asked him to bring over a video.
“By the end of the night, he was like, ‘what board do you want?'” Finch said. “On my 16th birthday a box of each showed up, though neither company knew it was my birthday. A week later I went on to win my first national title.”
He said he couldn’t remember if he had signed some kind of contract or much else about the deal.
“All I knew is that I finally had free product,” he said.
Not every rider has the same story about how he or she first got sponsored, but everyone remembers that first time they got free gear.
Skier Sarah Burke, who is in Aspen this weekend to compete in the superpipe at Winter X Games 10, said it was a complete surprise when she first got spotted.
She had skipped a moguls training day and gone out to the terrain park with some friends. A man named Mike Douglas happened to be out on the course doing some filming.
Burke popped a 1080 off a kicker and soon afterward Douglas came up to ask if she had a sponsor.
“It was out of the blue,” she said. “My friends were like, ‘You have no idea what just happened.'”
That contract was for three pairs of skis. But soon enough she had other sponsors and her life changed quickly. “I went to Japan, I went to Africa, I was head to toe at that point.”
So it’s about the big air and, as Finch says, “no one can deny first place.”
In the end, though, people get sponsored because it helps sell a product. In the beginning, most athletes are getting something of a helping hand. Often, it’s a stretch and something of a gamble for a company to give out free product or pay travel costs. Eventually though, the athlete can come to give a company more legitimacy.
“Sponsorship isn’t just going out and performing,” said skier Zach Crist, who has three X Games medals. “Just because you rip doesn’t mean you’re helping sell product, and that’s ultimately what matters.”
Michael Gardzina, aka Chaka, is a Burton team manager, the Mr. Goodwrench of Burton Snowboards, and one of the men who helps choose new members of the team. He’s out in Aspen this week for the X Games.
Gardzina’s focus is on the youth team. The youngest member is 8 years old.
“He has a 4-year-old brother that’s chomping on his heels,” Gardzina said. “It’s crazy how good the youngest kids are.”
It’s unlikely that a cold call to someone like Gardzina will get any kind of response. He says he gets hundreds of videos each month.
“The most random way is to go out, make a video, and send it in,” he said. “That’s the longest shot, but it happens.”
Gardzina said most of the kids are chosen through ski academies and the coaches of major ski teams throughout the country.
“Obviously they have to have riding skills,” Gardzina said. “A lot of it has to do with style, how they do it. All in all, it’s marketability. We want kids who are well-spoken, good looking.”
Gardzina said there are various levels of sponsorship depending on ability and recognition. “The most basic level is free product or gear.
The next step is incentives: money based on podiums or coverage.
The next step is travel money. And all the top guys have salaries, as well as travel money, incentives and gear.”
Things may be getting better for skiers and boarders at the X Games.
When it started 10 years ago, sponsors didn’t take it nearly as seriously, and neither did the athletes.
“Up until five years ago only a couple of athletes had agents,” said Katie Moses Swope, manager of event publicity and athlete relations for ESPN. “Now, 75 percent have a publicist, manager or agent that is specifically there to promote the athlete.”
Swope said it’s all about the sponsors.
“That’s what’s paying their bills. ESPN does not put the athletes up. These guys are professionals.”
Sponsorship works similarly for the X Games. Ian Votteri, assistant director of marketing for the X Games, said sponsorship is essential to putting on the games.
Companies that want to appeal to youth markets want to sponsor the X Games.
“It’s about image, of course,” Votteri said. “A lot of action sports are driven by image, by hairstyle, by how people talk.”
He said certain companies bring credibility to the X Games by setting up a booth and sponsoring athletes. Similarly, the X Games brings credibility to numerous companies by showing the events live on TV.
In the end, it’s about selling a snowboard, a pair of goggles or a soft drink.
So the gravy train is available for those who are good enough.
Evidently, all it takes is good looks, the ability to pop a couple of 1080s in a row and baggy pants. But don’t expect all the gravy at once.
“I make a good living,” Finch said, “but I started off making 10 grand a year.”
Joel Stonington’s e-mail address is email@example.com
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April 20, 2011 5:54 PM
Proskauer Giving Lawyers iPads
Posted by Tom Huddleston Jr.
Steven Kayman, a securities litigation partner and chair of the firm's technology committee, says that roughly 500 lawyers have requested iPads that will come preinstalled with a collection of business applications like DocsToGo and Goodreader. The firm will also offer training videos and sessions for the new hardware.
"My hope is that people will feel very comfortable loading the iPad up with all of the key documents from their transactions and from their cases," says Kayman. The offering is part of a long-term commitment by the firm to technological advancement, he adds. Earlier steps included a new data center in New Jersey and increased bandwidth for offices to connect to that location.Make a comment


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Our oceans are cleaner thanks to plastic bag fees.
According to The Center for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), there was a 30% drop in the number of plastic bags littering several sea beds around the UK between 2012 and 2017. Across the UK, there’s a 5 pence charge for all single-use plastic bags that come from shops with 250+ full-time employees. The fee was first enacted in Wales in 2011.
In 2015, England became the last UK country to charge the fee. CEFAS noticed the drop in plastic bag litter started after the fees were issued.
Marine Litter Scientist Thomas Maes stated, “We observed sharp declines in the percentage of plastic bags as captured by fishing nets trawling the seafloor around the UK compared to 2010 and this research suggests that by working together we can reduce, reuse, and recycle to tackle the marine litter problem.”
However, throughout the 25 year study period, CEFAS noticed there was an increase in other plastic items littering the sea. In March 2018, the UK proposed a similar charge for consumers who buy single-use plastic bottles, which could help clean the seafloor ever further. Hopefully more implementations like these will lead to a cleaner environment.


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The Food Standards Agency conducted an unannounced inspection of Russell Hume’s Birmingham site in Shady Lane before highlighting concerns about “poor practices in place”.
A statement on behalf of FSA reads: “Russell Hume were unable to demonstrate compliance with food hygiene rules at its locations, so we have stopped any product from leaving their sites.”
FSA added: “There is no indication that people have become ill from eating meat supplied by Russell Hume.
“However, we are concerned about the poor practices in place at their premises so that is why we have taken proportionate action to ensure no meat can leave their sites at present.
“All unused meat supplied by Russell Hume has been withdrawn from the businesses that they supply until they can provide assurances.
“The company is co-operating with our investigation and is currently reviewing its procedures and retraining its staff.
“Our investigations are ongoing.”
This week, customers were up in arms when Wetherspoon scrapped steak from its menu without warning at its 900 pubs.
Another one of Russell Hume’s major customers also stopped taking supplies after the FSA “became aware of instances of serious non-compliance with food hygiene regulations”.
Bosses at Jamie Oliver’s restaurants have confirmed that they switched suppliers as soon as they had been notified of the problems.
A spokeswoman for Jamie Oliver said: “As soon as we were notified by Russell Hume about issues, we switched suppliers.
“To ensure all our suppliers uphold our strict higher welfare and food safety standards, we have an independent team that audits all our key suppliers, including meat.
“Following an inspection at the end of last year and the fact we have full traceability on our meat, we can confirm that none of the meat we buy is impacted.”


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New rumor suggests Nintendo Switch Bundles to have starting price of USD 260
Release date info and initial video game lineup for PAL territories also included in the rumor.
The Nintendo Switch still continues to be the talk of the down despite the obvious skepticism of fans as more rumors pop up regarding its system specifications, release date and pricing.
The latest one would stem from LetsPlayVideoGames.com’s Laura Kate Dale who stated in her Twitter post that the Switch is planned for release on PAL regions which includes a large part of Europe, South America, Asia and Australia, this coming March 17, 2017. The rumored date does fall on the same month as what Nintendo has originally stated in their Switch reveal, albeit it is a lot more specific, for Nintendo’s announcement only said March 2017.
When questioned about the legitimacy of the rumor, Dale states that her source was also the same source who told her about the Switch’s reveal before it was made official and going as far as she has the reason to “trust their info“.
In addition to the dates, Mobipicker.com adds that there will be 3 available bundles ready for purchase upon release, with the starting price tag at USD 260 for the basic one, a Zelda Bundle, which we believe to be Breath of the Wild and will include a pro controller at USD 340, and, of course, a Mario Bundle for USD 300.


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With attention focused on the abandoned budget surplus, the Federal Government has published draft legislation which proposes regulating small business credit in a move critics say will make it harder for small business to get funding.
At the moment, small business credit is not regulated. However, draft legislation from Financial Services Minister Bill Shorten’s office proposes prohibiting people from “engaging in credit activities” in relation to a small business credit contract or a small business consumer lease unless they hold a permit.
A spokesperson for Shorten told SmartCompany the reforms proposed include prohibiting people from “engaging in credit activities” in relation to an investment credit contract unless they hold an Australian credit licence.
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“Responsible lending obligations do not apply to small business credit contracts or to investment credit contracts generally, but only to specific classes of these contracts,” the spokesperson says.
“The substantive obligations in the National Credit Code do not apply to small business credit contracts and to small business consumer leases. Other than the unjust contract provisions, these provisions also do not apply to investment credit contracts.”
The draft legislation also proposes expanding the definition of regulated credit contracts to include contracts where the credit provider or lessor is a private individual who is not in the business of providing credit or consumer leases, but where the contract is arranged by an intermediary.
Short-term leases and indefinite term leases that are currently exempt from regulation will also be regulated.
The spokesperson declined to comment on whether the proposed legislation will make it tougher for small businesses to obtain credit.
However, Opposition small business spokesperson Bruce Billson told SmartCompany the draft legislation was less than transparent and it seemed to be “a solution looking for a problem”.
“We’ve not seen any evidence that there is a problem to be solved and this seems to be another part of a regulatory binge that is being imposed because government thinks it can. Even in feedback from stakeholder consultations leading up to this draft, there was a comprehensive inability of Treasury officials to point to evidence of a problem requiring this degree of intervention,” he says.
Billson warns if implemented the draft legislation would have a negative impact on small businesses.
“This will just make it more challenging for small business to access the finance they need, particularly at a start-up phase,” he says.
“Finance is the oxygen of many small businesses. It is like needing a permit for small business to breathe.”
Billson says introducing the draft legislation yesterday means many people will not be aware of it.
“The timing of it is particularly disappointing off the back of other broken promises on the budget surplus that is occupying people’s minds, this material is released – what is not in the material is why there is a need to go down this pathway,” he says.
CPA Australia is also opposed to the legislation and believes regulating small business credit will negatively impact the availability and cost of credit as accountants and others will no longer assist small business apply for credit and comply with the requirements of an existing loan.
“Further, and most importantly, Treasury have never been able to provide any evidence that that there is a problem in small business credit that requires a regulatory response,” says Gavan Ord, business policy adviser at CPA Australia.
Peter Strong, executive director of the Council of Small Business Australia, told SmartCompany COSBOA has expressed concerns to Minister Shorten’s offices the process is not needed and will only make access to finance more difficult.
Strong is optimistic the draft legislation can be amended but concedes the timing of the process makes this difficult.
“There seems to be some understanding this was developed around the global financial crisis and it is a step too far and we are saying we can’t pass this legislation; it will be detrimental to the Australian economy,” he says.
“You can’t give people short notice to make responses to such important legislation, while a month and a half is given to respond, that month and a half is holiday for a lot of people so we wish we had been given it earlier.”


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Producers must factor in the possibility of plant closures over the next few weeks as COVID-19 continues to cause issues in factories, according to Thames Valley Cambac.
With only eight full weeks left before Christmas, producers must be aware that planned movements may be subject to change, TVC said in its latest weekly update.
“This issue aside, decent demand was seen from most of the majors driven by retail sales,” it said.
Prices generally stood on, with an odd exception, and reflected market stability. The fresh meat market was a different story, however, due to various lockdowns affecting foodservice, and competition from very cheap imports, with prices down 3p to 4p in some cases.
Cull sows were a stand on and prices in Europe were fairly stable with Spain the only significant reverse, down 1.3 eurocents.
Price quotes in sterling were lower due to a weaker euro that ended the week down 0.24p at 90.67p.
Weaner demand remained out of synch with supply, and there was little interest for any supplies outside regular movements. AHDB prices saw the weighted average for a 30kg pig rise 26p to £56.95, and there was no quote for a 7kg pig.
European Prices (p/kg.dwt) w/c 25/10/20 Movement on last week
European Av. 129.34 – 0.51
Belgium 100.10 – 0.26
Denmark 125.49 – 0.33
France 148.31 – 0.39
Germany 115.16 – 0.30
Ireland 145.99 – 0.39
Holland 119.30 – 0.32
Spain 151.06 – 1.58
(Ref Weekly Tribune)


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Singapore ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, becoming the first participating country of the world's largest free trade deal to do so, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said Friday.
A ministry statement quoted Singapore's Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing as saying the ratification "signals Singapore's strong commitment to strengthening our trade and economic linkages with our partners, for the benefit of our businesses and people."
Chan said Singapore hopes the other participating countries will ratify the deal and expedite its entering into force.
The RCEP was signed last November by 15 Asia-Pacific nations.
The deal groups the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- plus Japan, China, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
India, one of the founding members, did not sign it due to concern that its trade deficit with China would grow.
The RCEP is the world's largest trade bloc, accounting for some 30 percent of global gross domestic product and nearly a third of the world population.
The pact will come into effect once it is ratified by six of the ASEAN members and three of the other countries.


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The South African model and influencer took to Instagram to share an image of her latest campaign with luxury fragrance brand, Jean Paul Gaultier.
South African beauty and fashion influencer, Kefilwe Mabote, took to Instagram on Monday, 9 September 2019, to share her latest campaign with luxury fragrance brand, Jean Paul Gaultier, in a post. The image shows the beauty influencer lying on top of a red carpet. She wears a pink bodysuit under a silk, brown dressing robe, adorned with flower petals all over her hair.
Kefilwe can be seen lying next to actor and model, Thabang Molaba, wearing a bright red dressing robe. The South African model captioned the image expressing the scene of the shoot, likening it to an enchanted space. She also mentioned that the campaign is for the recent launch of the two male and female Jean Paul Gaultier fragrances, shot by acclaimed photographer, Gerard Estadella. “Lying on a magic carpet and lost in the moment as I listen to the enchanting whispers between LaBelle and LaBeau”, she wrote.
The model was recently in Marrakech and shared bikini shots of herself holding the fragrances. She however, did not explicitly mention that she was part of the recent perfume campaign which was shot at a resort style hotel in Marrakech.
Social media users were pleasantly surprised by the campaign, with many sharing congratulatory messages and compliments to the model for the international recognition.
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DX440 keeps EV vans movingTuesday 21st March 2023
The electric commercial vehicle market has seen huge growth globally in recent years and this is showing no signs of slowing down.
Business and commercial fleets are currently under financial strain as a result of the economic challenges, and the current implementation of new clean air or low emission zones UK wide. Already operational in eight cities including London, which is going a step further, establishing ultra low emission zones which are set to be rolled out London-wide later this year.
With these crippling costs now a reality for many, fleets are increasingly investing in commercial electric vehicles for optimum efficiency.
In 2020, London Electric Vehicle Company launched the first, British made electric van and selected the Davanti DX440 as its original equipment (OE) tyre for the VN5 electric van.
When embarking on the selection process for an OE tyre brand, LEVC outlined a rigorous testing process to ensure the performance capabilities of their first electric van would be supported by tyres of equal quality and reliability. Comfort and longevity were a particular focus – often a challenge for tyre manufacturers when developing products for electric vans due to the weight distribution and torque.
The DX440 was tested against a number of other competitor brands at the UK’s leading proving ground, Horiba MIRA.
Commenting on electric vans, Sean Maddocks, Davanti sales director for the UK & Ireland, said:
“They carry extra weight distributed in a very different way to a traditional van due to the battery. They deliver more torque than a regular van, which poses its own challenges for tyres and the steering angles are tighter.”
The DX440 went through 8 different testing disciplines including dry and wet braking, dry and wet handling, longitudinal aquaplaning, dry stability, dry steering and wet circling.
Each discipline ensures the DX440 exceeds the normal driving requirements of a tyre for maximum safety, durability and reliability.
This stringent testing and continuous refinement of this and other products in the Davanti range earned the DX440 its place on all VN5 electric vans that LEVC produces.


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Reuters noted a reference to the talks in court by one of Apple’s briefs.
Apple and Samsung were business chums for years before Apple got miffed about Samsung daring to produce Android phones.
Apple sued Samsung in April, after Samsung released its Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets. The legal move resulted in Samsung countersuing, pointing out that there were a lot of patents it owned under the bonnet of Apple gear.
Apple was Samsung’s second-biggest customer last year and provided $5.7 billion of sales to Samsung’s chip team.
US District Judge Lucy Koh, who is looking at the patent spat, wondered why the two chums were at drawn dagger points.
She could not work out why the outfits had not used an alternative dispute resolution. She told one of the legals that she could send one of the lawyers around with a box of make-up chocolates.
Apple attorney Harold McElhinny said the case has gotten the attention of executives “at the highest levels” of the two companies who were meeting and talking.
However, Apple started this particular fight, and it is desperate for a method of sending a message to Google suppliers not to use the rival operating system.
If Samsung and other suppliers feel that they will be sued every time they install Android under the bonnet, they will surrender the smartphone market to Job’s Mob. Or, they will end up having to pay Apple for every Googlephone they sell, either way Apple is quids in.
The downside of that particular plan is that Apple actually believes that it invented the smartphone rather than re-invented it. Unfortunately the phone is built on a lot of technology which came before it.
Despite assurances from McElhinny it is jolly unlikely that Apple will back off.


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Get Alerts »
Just before war hero honored, he saves woman in danger
Video from the Bay Bridge expansion site where a construction crane collapsed. No one was injured and the collapse is not expected to impact the scheduled opening.
We hope Leonardo DiCaprio's an Apple fan. The actor is reportedly a favorite pick for the role of Steve Jobs in an upcoming biopic about the deceased Apple co-founder that's coming from Sony Pictures.


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在数十万愤怒的乘客要求退款后，英国航空公司在大转弯 (而不是优惠券) for Covid-cancelled flights
英国航空 has bowed to passenger fury and will refund hundreds of thousands of travellers given vouchers for bookings cancelled by Covid.
The airline, which has kept some customers’ money for up to two years and instead issued 3.3 million vouchers, has started processing payments to those who qualify for refunds.
拉杜卡努凭借在法拉盛梅多斯的首次大满贯冠军获得了名人地位, which received thousands of complaints for issuing credit notes rather than refunds, made a minor concession in March by allowing passengers to request a refund if their voucher was two years old – but it applied only if the airline, not the passenger, had cancelled the booking.
British Airways has bowed to passenger fury and will refund hundreds of thousands of travellers given vouchers for bookings cancelled by Covid (档案图片)
In a significant shift, the airline has started paying automatic refunds – in some cases worth several thousand pounds – to far larger groups of passengers.
BA said it was repaying customers unable to use their vouchers online, those who used Avios air miles towards payment and other ‘complex’ bookings as well as BA Holidays vouchers which, uniquely, still need to be two years old.
A BA passenger noted the airline’s change of heart, posting on Twitter: ‘I’ve just now got a refund for all my vouchers. I had five flights booked with BA in 2020.’ Consumer experts criticised BA for keeping customers’ cash for so long and called on the airline to refund those who will not be repaid in the current tranche of payments.
BA has yet to explain why some passengers with vouchers are not being refunded. It also refused to say how many vouchers will be refunded in the latest batch or the number that will remain outstanding. 将在六年零八个月内付清账单 - 只需支付 251 英镑的利息, personal finance analyst at financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown, 说过: ‘People have been out of pocket for the cost of their flights for a long time, and while it will be a huge relief for many to get their money back, the wait has been awful.
BA has yet to explain why some passengers with vouchers are not being refunded. It also refused to say how many vouchers will be refunded in the latest batch or the number that will remain outstanding (档案图片)
‘Remaining customers who are still waiting for refunds may now feel it is unfair some refunds are being issued, but only to people in a different position to them. Any broadening of refunds would be very welcome.’
One disgruntled customer posted on Twitter: ‘We wanted a refund in 2020 but were forced to accept a voucher – and now business class seats to Las Vegas have doubled in price. Not good enough, BA.’
The airline is likely to face fresh anger from travellers in the coming months for cancelling 16,000 flights during the busy summer season in the wake of crippling staff shortages.
A BA spokesman said: ‘To give our customers maximum flexibility, we’re now in the process of refunding those with more complex bookings, such as those where Avios was used as payment (和) those who are unable to use their vouchers online. Any eligible customers will be contacted shortly, if not already, to process their refund.’


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Train passengers in the country now have a reason to rejoice as the Railway Board has announced major reforms in its catering services where the food served will have airline-like combos among other important upgrades. The reforms include “rationalizing the menu”, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and CCTV monitoring to regulate the preparation process.
The food that would be “high-in-quality- and-taste” will be served from July according to the statement by Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani. This reform will first be put into effect on premium trains such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Duronto on an experimental basis following which it will be made available on the other trains.
“The menu would be simple, could be in the form of a combo meal, comprising at best two to three items similar to what is served by airlines. High in quality and taste,” he told media-persons at Delhi today. He also said that the current menu that has about six or seven items is low in quality as well as hygiene. It is to be noted that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had reported that the food served at railway stations amd tarins is “unfit for human consumption”.
Lohani added that the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC), will now employ amangers and supervisors in all trains as a part of the new initiative fro random checking and quality management of the food that is served. Adding to this, the IRCTC would be directly in charge of the 68 new modern-base kitchens that are planned to be set up across the country, which would be ready by December 2019 and fitted with CCTV cameras for centralised monitoring. These base kitchens woud also be getting an AI module to find incongruities and raise issues on the quality of food.
The Garib Rath class of the trains will be getting a new mini-pantry, to prevent the food packages from being stacked near the lavatories, as is the current norm.
The cost for setting up the base kitchens would come over 1 crore, according to IRCTC Chairman-and-Managing Director MP Mall. They are planned for cities across the countries including Kanpur, Raipur and Bilaspur. On the recent issues of poor quality food and drinking water on the trains, he said that those cases don’t reflect the ground reality.
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Business is slow just about everywhere in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but at Basin Printing, things are pretty busy.
Basin is offering a free 2-foot-tall by 5-foot-wide banner to businesses to announce whether they are closed or open during the COVID-19 restrictions.
“There’s enough difficulties in life right now. We want to lift people up, and this is good for people, good for businesses and good for the community,” said Jeramiah Townsend, owner of Basin Printing, 1437 East Second Ave.
Townsend has lost count of the number of signs he made, but he estimated about 70 as of Thursday afternoon.
The free signs have been delivered across the Four Corners, from Kirtland, New Mexico, to Pagosa Springs, Townsend said.
The offer has proved more popular than anticipated. The signs, Townsend said, are easy to put a good message on that people can see.
“It’s a bit of material and some man hours, but it’s about helping people, and maybe down the line, I hope people will remember Basin Printing helped them out,” he said.
Businesses can order the signs on Basin’s website, and Basin will design the sign, and most signs have been hand-delivered.
“Businesses need to advertise more when things are tough,” he said. “Our first instinct is to pull back and stop spending when we’re scared, and this could help a lot of businesses in the Four Corners.”


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Payward, Inc., the owner of US-based digital currency exchange Kraken, announced on 25th March that it has raised $5m in new capital as part of a Series A fundraising round.
, first launched in September 2013, allows users to buy and sell bitcoin, namecoin, dogecoin and Ripple, among other digital currencies.
The round was led by Hummingbird Ventures, an early-phase venture capital firm that has invested in digital properties like Dubai-based price comparison platform Souqalmal.com and object-based software defined storage service provider Amplidata in recent months.
The funding will be used by Payward to strengthen Kraken's position in the global digital currency market.
Jesse Powell, CEO at Kraken, told CoinDesk that the company plans to deploy its new funding to meet key development and regulatory needs.
The news comes as the US government issued new guidance on digital currencies. The Internal Revenue Service announced on 25th March that it would treat them like property, making them subject to capital gains tax treatment.
Given the increased burden of compliance requirements, Kraken is taking its approach to these matters seriously.
Pressure on exchanges
Earlier this week, Kraken announced that it had passed a verifiable proof of reserves audit. The test was carried out in order to bolster confidence in the exchange's ability to meet customer balance demands.
During the interview, Powell went on to speculate that some exchanges may face greater scrutiny in the months ahead.
In the wake of the collapse of Mt. Gox, exchanges have faced financial difficulties. China-based Vircurex froze withdrawals this week, in just the latest in a string of high-profile bitcoin exchange issues.
CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


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Capcom has announced that last year’s Monster Hunter World Iceborne expansion has shipped over 4 million units globally.
The publisher announced the news through a new press release. According to Capcom, shipped units include sales of the console version of the expansion, which was released back in September of 2019, and initial sales of the PC version on Steam. These sales numbers include digital sales of the Iceborne expansion and both physical shipments and digital sales of the Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition which includes the base game and the Iceborne expansion.
Alongside the impressive shipment numbers for the Iceborne expansion, Capcom also announced that the base game, Monster Hunter World, has shipped over 15 million units globally as of January 2nd. As announced earlier, this is the first title in Capcom’s history to achieve this record. We’ve included a part of the official press release down below.
The Monster Hunter series consists of hunting action games that pit players against giant monsters in a beautiful natural environment. Beginning with the first title in 2004, the series established a new genre in which players cooperate to hunt ferocious monsters with their friends, growing into a mega-hit with cumulative sales of the series exceeding 61 million units as of January 15 , 2020. With Monster Hunter: World (MH:W) (released in January 2018), Capcom has continued to enhance the series' global brand value by promoting existing user engagement through regular updates while encouraging lapsed players to return and newcomers to join with free weapons and armor useful for completing the game's story, driving shipments of the game to 15 million units as of January 2, 2020—the first title in Capcom's history to achieve this record-high.
Monster Hunter World was launched back in January 2018 for PS4 and Xbox One. The PC version was released later that year in August. The massive Iceborne expansion was released for consoles in September 2019. The expansion was released for PC through Steam last week.


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Caremark, a UK-based national homecare franchise provider, has deployed Connecteam‘s all-in-one workforce management app to manage more than 7,000 remote caregivers across more than 115 franchise offices, the company announced today. Connecteam offers everything a business needs to manage and engage its deskless workforce.
Caremark CEO David Glover said that the company required a better method of involving its dispersed workers and enhancing communication between its franchise support center, administrative employees, franchise owners, and its remote teams of 7,000 caregivers.
“Our Care Assistants are the lifeblood of our business and I wanted to ensure they receive the exact support they need, be that training, access to documents or a place to chat with peers, as well as feeling valued, engaged, and part of one big national team, Connecteam checked every box we needed and more. Its ease of use and secure platform enabled us to implement the app quickly with rapid adoption across teams and employees. Most importantly, it has helped us foster a sense of belonging and encouragement across our entire remote workforce which aptly aligns with our core value of caring for all people: customers, employees, franchise owners, and care staff.”
Caremark started using Connecteam earlier this year with three franchise offices. Now the application will be used on the web to:
- Open lines of communication between the franchise support center, Caremark offices, and remote employees
- Review employees, send thank you notes, send important business messages and run referral-friendly programs.
- Access Caremark’s policies, procedures, and operations manuals
- Implement mandatory eLearning programs in all teams and workgroups
- Providing portable training licenses to franchise owners, saving them time and money
The home care industry employs hundreds of thousands of people in many locations, all working tirelessly to help people in their homes. They are not sitting at their desks reading email messages. By using the Connecteam application to provide a better employee experience, Caremark can improve employee engagement and retention, which will also translate to better customer care, said Amir Nehemia, CEO and co-founder, of Connecteam.
Nehemia added: From the beginning, we have seen that Caremark does things differently, putting its beneficiaries first. By bringing real-time, scalable, digital communication and training to the entire network using Connecteam, the company can successfully engage Caremark’s Franchise Owners, managers, and maintenance workers in a more efficient way than ever before – resulting in higher efficiency, productivity and. save.”
Connecteam helps companies of all sizes and across a number of industries – including healthcare, construction, security, manufacturing, retail, restaurants, and hospitality – improve the way they operate and connect their employees seamlessly. The company’s all-in-one application contains elements of communication, HR, and operations, including scheduling, time tracking, attendance, learning and training, employee recognition, etc., to help manage 80% of the world’s workforce, representing 2.7 billion workers, without being tied to a desk. The program is also fully customizable without the need for T support.
Connecteam recently launched a free version of its software for small businesses with up to 10 employees, offering access to the full suite of Conneteam applications – an estimated value of $4,000 per year.
Connecteam is a work management application for deskless employees that provides all-in-one information for communication, day-to-day operations, HR, and training. Founded in 2016, Connecteam has already achieved 400% annual growth and gained the trust of more than 20,000 global customers in 80 countries, including leading brands such as SodaStream (a PepsiCo company), Sodexo, Saint Gobain, Berry Global. and others. Offered as a service (SaaS), Connecteam’s software is available free of charge to small businesses with up to 10 employees. Connecteam also offers a free, two-week trial to large companies that want to improve the way they handle frontline workers.


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Amazon: Shopping online is good for Mother Nature
Amazon.com says e-commerce is more environmentally friendly than traditional retailing because shopping online helps consumers avoid driving their cars down to the local store.
That’s Amazon’s pushback against a shareholder proposal that seeks to have the e-commerce giant issue an annual report assessing the company’s impact on climate change.
Amazon.com’s directors say shareholders should reject two shareholder proposals, including the one focused on climate change and another that calls for the company to disclose corporate political contributions. Amazon’s shareholders meeting is scheduled for May 24.
Seattle-based Investor Voice wants Amazon to be more transparent about what political causes and candidates the company supports.
Investor Voice says that the CPA-Zicklin Index of Corporate Political Accountability and Disclosure gives Amazon a “zero” score, which places Amazon at the bottom of S&P 100 companies for political disclosure.
“At many companies, management does not know how trade associations use corporate money politically. This proposal asks Amazon to disclose all of its political contributions, including payments to trade associations and other tax exempt organizations. This would bring Amazon in line with more than half of the S&P 100, who have disclosure polices like these and present this information to shareholders,” Investor Voice says in Amazon’s proxy statement to shareholders.
Amazon says it prepares a Political Expenditures Statement and intend to update it annually on the company’s website.
In 2011, Amazon spent $2.2 million on federal government lobbying, according to the company’s one-page Political Expenditures statement.
Greg Lamm covers banking & finance and law for the Puget Sound Business Journal.
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Hertz Files for Bankruptcy
Hertz, one among the nation’s largest automotive-rental firms, has formally filed for chapter protection at the moment. The corporate had about $19 billion in debt and practically 700,00 automobiles which have been largely sitting in parking heaps resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and the lack of journey demand it prompted. Hertz has been renting automobiles since 1918.
By declaring chapter, Hertz says it intends to remain in enterprise whereas restructuring its money owed. It hopes to emerge from this as a more healthy firm financially.
“The impression of COVID-19 on journey demand was sudden and dramatic, inflicting an abrupt decline in the Firm’s income and future bookings. Hertz took quick actions to prioritize the well being and security of staff and prospects, get rid of all non-important spending and protect liquidity. Nonetheless, uncertainty stays as to when income will return and when the used-automotive market will totally re-open for gross sales, which necessitated at the moment’s motion. The monetary reorganization will present Hertz a path towards a extra sturdy monetary construction that finest positions the Firm for the future because it navigates what might be a chronic journey and total international financial restoration,” the assertion says.
This marks one among the highest-profile casualties of the pandemic’s impression on journey, however Hertz additionally had challenges earlier than the present financial disaster. The corporate had a lack of $58 million final yr, its fourth consecutive annual web loss.
All Hertz Companies Stay Open and Serving Prospects
All of Hertz’s companies globally, together with its Hertz, Greenback, Thrifty, Firefly, Hertz Automotive Gross sales, and Donlen subsidiaries, are open and serving prospects. All reservations, promotional presents, vouchers, and buyer and loyalty packages, together with rewards factors, are anticipated to proceed as ordinary. Prospects can rely on the similar excessive degree of service and reliability, together with new initiatives corresponding to “Hertz Gold Commonplace Clear” sanitization protocols to supply extra security in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Hertz has over a century of business management and we entered 2020 with sturdy income and earnings momentum,” mentioned Hertz President and CEO Paul Stone. “With the severity of the COVID-19 impression on our enterprise, and the uncertainty of when journey and the economic system will rebound, we have to take additional steps to climate a probably extended restoration. At the moment’s motion will defend the worth of our enterprise, permit us to proceed our operations and serve our prospects, and supply the time to place in place a brand new, stronger monetary basis to maneuver efficiently by this pandemic and to raised place us for the future. Our loyal prospects have made us one among the world’s most iconic manufacturers, and we look ahead to serving them now and on their future journeys.”


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Know your customer, is also known as KYC, and refers to the process that some institutions use to verify the identities of their customers and understand what, if any, risks they pose. They are becoming increasingly more used in recruitment, and HR departments are looking at the whole picture, and incorporating checks into the online reputation of potential and current employees.
For businesses and brands, having and maintaining a positive digital presence, is a growing concern. In fact, many a savvy business is actively investing more time and money in becoming more visible online and protecting themselves from the risk of a reputation crisis.
The best online reputation management company will repair negative search results and improve your online reputation in a search-friendly way.
If you think online reputation management is just for major corporations and big brands, you’d be wrong. Increasing numbers of people from all kinds of backgrounds, and for all kinds of reasons, are turning to reputation management companies to clean up their digital history.
Children are increasingly interacting with their peers online, using social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram on the go, via mobile. It’s important that as a parent, you are aware of how your children interact with others online, to prevent them from experiencing or engaging in cyber bullying and keep them safe.
The Daily Telegraph’s investigation into British football has cost individuals’ reputations, as well as bringing the whole British game and its governing body, the FA, into disrepute


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Jan. 8, 2019
By 2030, the European Commission estimates that production and exports will rise from the major olive oil-producing EU countries, but consumption will sink as prices rise and lifestyles change.
Mar. 9, 2016
In the latest report by the International Olive Council, recent poor harvests in Italy and Spain, have led to a drop in olive oil consumption.
Mar. 2, 2016
Global olive oil usage has increased by 73 percent over the last 25 years according to an analysis by the Italian farmer's group Coldiretti.
Feb. 16, 2016
Studies show some promising results for a protective effect against coronary artery disease with exclusive olive oil consumption.
Sep. 25, 2015
The results demonstrate the popularity of olive oil as a staple shopping item for consumers around the world.
Mar. 9, 2015
Italy and Spain are neck and neck for the top spot in total olive oil consumption, according to a report today by the International Olive Council.
Dec. 9, 2014
Despite a bumper harvest, encouraging domestic olive oil consumption in Tunisia has not been on the agenda.
Dec. 8, 2014
The International Olive Council (IOC) reported an expected 38 percent drop in olive oil production and sharply higher prices for extra virgin olive oil.
Oct. 8, 2014
Spain will see its output drop by half this season, while Greece will double its output, according to latest estimates by the International Olive Council.
Oct. 1, 2014
Jean-Louis Barjol answered questions at the University of Jaén concerning a potential slowdown in olive oil consumption.
Jul. 8, 2014
Global sales of olive oil and olive pomace oil rallied in April, the International Olive Council says in its latest market newsletter.